Andrew Maclean

A mysterious monster Volkswagen Golf has been caught at the famed Nurbugring circuit in Germany.

The prototype three-door is expected to preview a lightweight hard-core variant of the popular hot hatch that is specifically designed for track enthusiasts and could wear the Club Sport tag when it is officially revealed.

Volkswagen tried to disguise the test vehicle as coming from a German aftermarket tuning company with stickers on its flanks, but our spy photographers indicate the car carries official VW registration, was flanked by support vehicles and was based at the company’s Nurburgring workshop.

It has yet to be revealed whether the three-door hatch uses the Golf R’s heavier all-wheel drive system or retains the front-wheel drive layout of the regular Golf GTi, but it is clear the car carries some unique hardware including larger brakes, lightweight alloy wheels, lowered suspension and additional body parts such as an extended front splitter and larger rear wing protruding from the top of the hatch.

With increasing competition to create the fastest front-wheel drive car to lap the torturous 20km Nurburgring circuit – with Seat recently dipping below the eight minute marker with its Leon Cupra and Honda promising to go even faster with its next Civiv Type R – this car could be Volkswagen’s contender and feature lightweight carbon fibre body panels.

Under the bonnet, it is expected to be driven by a tuned version of the 2.0-litre turbo four cylinder but it is unclear where the model will sit in terms of power output – either between the Golf GTi Performance Pack that produces 169kW and the 221kW Golf R, or above that as a new flagship model capable of eclipsing its front-drive rivals.

Either way, we’re expecting Volkswagen to reveal more details at the annual Worthersee fan meet in Austria in May